This reminds me of similar thought about
snowflakes--alone, they're very fragile and easily
destroyed, but look what happens when they gather together
and become in many cases a completely unstoppable
force. Both ideas focus on the idea of what can
happen when we work together, when we focus our time and
energy on being a part of the whole, instead of on being
isolated individuals who are looking out only for
ourselves.

Tapestries can be beautiful when there's harmony between
their elements. When the different colors and shapes
and sizes work together in their own ways to make a
unified whole, a tapestry can present an absolutely
amazing picture. And in that picture there is also
strength, as the simple threads that are joined together
cannot be broken at all in their new situation as part of
a greater whole. I can snap a thread easily in my
hands, but once it's part of a whole, such as in a
tapestry or a piece of cloth, it works together with other
pieces of thread to gain great strength.

When we look at the strength and beauty that unity can
create, we also have to look at things like sports
teams. How many teams win championships that don't
work together well, that don't function as a unified
whole? And when they do function well, it's a
pleasure to watch what happens when there is unity among
the members of a team--what they do seems effortless, even
though we all know that there is plenty of effort
involved.

The struggle for most of us, I believe, is finding those
situations in which we fit, in which our fragile self will
contribute just the right element to help complete a team
or a tapestry. We have our own strengths and beauty,
but it must complement in order to be a part of a unified
whole, rather than contrast. It's important, then,
that we keep our eyes open so that we can find the groups
or teams in which our contribution will help to create a
beautiful, unified whole.

Questions to
consider:

Why is it sometimes difficult to commit ourselves to be
part of a larger whole? What are the risks?

In what ways is a tapestry stronger than the individual
threads that make it up? How does the beauty of a
tapestry come to be?

Why is it important for us to work together rather than
trying to function always at an individual level?

For further
thought:

Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile
things,
but just look at what they can do when they stick together.

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